1. Field
The disclosed aspects relate generally to commercial data communication networks, and more specifically to assured access for packet data services.
2. Background
Government Public Safety (PS) and Law Enforcement (LE) agencies typically use private Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systems as their primary means of voice communications. Government agencies generally own their own resources, and these private networks are expensive to build and maintain. As a result, commercial networks are typically more advanced in technology than these private networks.
Commercial networks now have a wide variety of advanced data services and applications available for their users. For example, CDMA2000 1xEV-DO will provide data rates up to 3.1 Mbps to an individual user for access to e-mail, the web, secure access to corporate virtual private networks, location based services, transmission of pictures and video. Similar services are not available on LMR networks, nor are they contemplated in the near future. Being able to fully utilize advanced data services is desired by Government PS/LE users. LMR systems have stringent requirements concerning the level of reliability for their users. It is important for the official users to have almost guaranteed access to the system.
Thus, one reason that commercial communication networks are not used by Government agencies is that these systems cannot assure the PS/LE user access to communications services when the commercial network is likely to be congested. For example, all commercial cellular systems were described as “ineffective and unresponsive” in the first hours after the attack on the Pentagon on Sep. 11, 2001.
There are existing efforts to try and assure access on communications networks when congested. The National Communications System (NCS) is a government agency responsible for assuring National Security and Emergency Preparedness (NS/EP) government users reliable access to wired and wireless communications services in times of emergency. The NCS operates the Government Emergency Telecommunications Network (GETS), which allows NS/EP users priority access to the landline Public Switched Telecommunications Network (PSTN) communications resources, even if the PSTN is congested. GETS is implemented as an additional features in commercial PSTN switches. GETS provides priority access on a call by call basis, where the user dials a GETS access phone number (1-710-NCS-GETS) and then provides a user ID and password after being prompted. Since GETS is user-based, rather than device based, GETS users are not limited to obtaining priority while using a single device. NCS has been working to make these priority access features available to users on commercial wireless networks as well. While many features have been included in the CDMA standards that facilitate providing priority access, these features have not generally implemented in commercial systems.
Recently, NCS has defined a priority access service for wireless networks known as Wireless Priority Service (WPS). WPS is in the process of being deployed by the major CDMA carriers in the US. CDMA cellular users access WPS by pre-pending their destination phone number with a WPS access code (*272). This code is recognized by cellular mobile switching equipment as a request for WPS service. The device is validated as being authorized to receive WPS service by checking appropriate provisioning records in a cellular home location register (HLR) or SS7 service control point (SCP). If WPS service is successfully authorized, and no resources are currently available to complete the call, the user's call is queued. This call is completed when resources become available, and receives priority over new non-WPS calls which are also contending for the same open channels. This will provide PS/LE users with priority over commercial cellular users in gaining access to the cellular network should the network become congested. However, this service is only for voice services. WPS does not provide priority access for cdma2000 1XRTT packet data calls, nor is it available on the new high-speed packet data (EV-DO) networks.
In addition, when an emergency occurs, the 1xRTT and 1xEV-DO networks may become congested due to increased use by the public to get information related to the emergency event. It may become difficult for the PS/LE user to make a voice call; the delay in completing a voice call may increase greatly.
Similarly, assuming that the commercial public's use of data applications also increases in times of emergency, the effective throughput on the DO network is reduced for any unofficial data applications which have not previously requested and been granted PS/LE priority treatment. Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide solutions to the above identified problems.